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The Battle of Altorus
Post 17 - Conclusion

Ready Room, USS Tethys
1600 Hours, MD-04

Iluvar looked from the PADD in his hand to the terminal display on his desk, then back to the PADD. Outside his viewport, the USS Peacekeeper was clearly visible on another of the station's upper pylons. He paused for a moment and admired the pristine condition of the Intrepid-class vessel. She had not been present during the recent engagement at Altorus, meaning that she had been spared the disaster that had befallen the small force that had taken part.

While he could not say he did not envy their condition, he didn't blame them either. Each ship, each crew, had their own assignment. The Tethys had performed admirably and, thanks to the work of his crew, was nearly ready to depart. In fact, he had a meeting with Lieutenant Commander Halloway (NPC), the shipyard foreman, in two hours to discuss the final repairs.

=^= Commodore =^= the voice of Oliver Patterson (NPC) called.

"Yes Oliver," Iluvar replied, smiling at the growing ease with which his yeoman was starting to work around the ship.

=^= Ambassador Ocal, here to see you, sir =^= Oliver continued.

"Very good," Iluvar said, deactivating his desktop terminal and setting the PADD aside, "Send her in."

A moment later, the Commodore's Ready Room doors swished open, and the solemn figure of Ambassador Ocal entered, her hands clasped loosely behind her back.

"You wished to speak with me, Master Iluvar?" the tired old El-Aurian said softly, still weak from recent events.

"Yes, ambassador, thank you for coming," he said, getting to his feet and motioning toward the reception area of the room under the large viewports. "May I interest you in some El-Aurian honey tea?"

Mordred attempted a smile. "I apologize, Sir... but I am afraid that my appetite has not been the same since..." She trailed off at the end, knowing full well that Iluvar understood.

Iluvar nodded understandingly. He still wasn't sure how he felt about the former drone, Raemet's, methods. Opting to refrain from his traditional Earl Grey, he remained standing, waiting to see if the ambassador would sit.

Mordred, however, did not seem interested in sitting. She still did not quite feel like herself, and it both bothered and distracted her greatly.

"Your message sounded quite urgent," she continued, if for no other reason than to break the silence.

Realizing that the ambassador wished to get right to business, Iluvar chose to continue standing. "As I'm sure you are aware, there are many who feel we are on the path to war, ambassador," Iluvar said, looking directly at the El-Aurian. "Including, I believe, your first officer."

The elderly El-Aurian nodded understandingly. "Yes, well... Miss Vickers has a tendency to let her emotions get the best of her. And as for the others, I cannot say that I blame them for jumping to that conclusion, given the circumstances."

"I have always respected your achievements, ambassador," Iluvar continued, "and I'm sorry to see that you and the Frontier will not be rejoining us out here on the border. That said, I value whatever advice and insight you can give me."

Mordred fell deep into thought. Ordinarily, she would be ripe with insight and information, but for some reason, standing before this man, she felt hollow... as if there were nothing of value in her head or her heart. For several very long seconds, she dwelled upon her feelings of emptiness, then finally looked up at Commodore Iluvar.

"The days and weeks to come will not be easy for you, Commodore. You will need to contend with constant battles on three separate fronts. The conflict with the Elyshans will only become more complex over time... the Federation and Starfleet will expect miracles from you and your crew... and all the while, you and your forces will have to fend off a seemingly neverending stream of factional attacks and conspiracies."

Iluvar nodded. He had read the ambassador's numerous reports and he knew that it was not going to be easy. In his heart and soul, the hope for peace burned brightly, but as he looked at the worn ambassador, a brief thought crossed his mind. "Ambassador," he said, looking Ocal directly in the eye, "We will persevere and peace will triumph. I promise you that I will do everything in my power to make that happen, and I am not alone. There are many in Starfleet who feel the same way."

"I wish I shared in your enthusiasm, Sir," she said wearily. "But I have seen firsthand what these people are capable of, and I cannot help but feel as though we are teetering dangerously on the brink of a war unlike any we have ever before seen." She began at that moment to tear up a bit, but forced herself to remain her composure. "And I have seen more than my fair share of wars, Master Iluvar... far more than I wish to think about now..."

The commodore could tell that the ambassador still needed rest. Perhaps it was for the better that she was being brought away from the front. It would give her a chance to recuperate. Still, perhaps it was time to change the subject a little.

"Do you remember the first day we met, ambassador," Iluvar asked.

Ocal took a deep breath and tried to focus on the question. "As I recall, you joined me for tea after dropping off Master Warrington."

Iluvar smiled at the fond memory. "Yes, I believe I did," he continued. "We've both come a long way since then, whether it be physical distance or otherwise. Sometimes the road gets rough. Forgive me ambassador, I may not have your experience, but I know that there can be times when we lose that road. The funny thing is, it's always there again, should we choose to keep walking."

Mordred managed a slight smile. "I am afraid my 'walking shoes' are a bit tarnished these days, Commodore... but you make a good point. There is far too much at stake for us to lose sight of our destination."

Sighing deeply, she added, "We will make the best of our time away, I can promise you that. But I do not believe that this will be the last time our paths cross, Commodore." Looking out the viewport, Ocal's eyes darted from star to star. "There are so many worlds out there... so many people depending upon us... we have a great deal of work cut out for us..."

She then turned her head slightly and looked at him with a faint smile. "I hope you are prepared..."

The thoughts settled on the room for a moment while neither of them spoke. Finally, Iluvar spoke again, citing a quote from a 21st Century Earth text. "Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, when one only remembers to turn on the light," he said, "Peace, like happiness is an enduring trait. It's our job to be that light, ambassador, and you've done an amazing job. All I ask is that you keep on shining."

Mordred finally smiled. "Apparently somebody has been slipping you secrets from the Frontier, Master Iluvar."

Iluvar shrugged. "And what if they have," he said with a smile. Certainly, Lieutenant Warrington might have mentioned a thing or two in their discussions.

Mordred shook her head, but could not hide her smile. For the first time in at least a weak, she finally felt a glimmer of hope.

"I want to thank you, ambassador," Iluvar said, "For everything you have done. Now it's time to let us handle things for awhile. We'll still be here when you get back."

Mordred took a deep breath and reached out her hand to shake Iluvar's.

"I am counting on it..." 

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